PRESS OFFICE
Department of Communications
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Michael O’Hurley-Pitts, Director of Communications
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 154; Cell: (212) 689-1934; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
April 13, 2007
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ARCHBISHOP BARSAMIAN INTERCEDES WITH SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY (SMU) TO
WITHDRAW THEIR SPONSORSHIP OF MONOLOGUE ABOUT TURKISH-ARMENIAN RELATIONS
UNDER GUISE OF DIALOGUE
Late Wednesday evening, April 11, 2007, His Eminence Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, Primate (Chief Bishop) of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America (Eastern) was alerted to a hastily organized "International
Conference on Turkish-Armenian Dialogue" being co-sponsored by Southern
Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. Alarmed that of the twelve
(12) panelists invited, not a single Armenian academic or Armenian-American
leader was asked to take part, except for the Armenian Archbishop of Turkey,
Archbishop Barsamian called upon SMU President Dr. R. Gerald Taylor to
withdraw the University’s support and sponsorship from the conference.
On Friday, April 13, Archbishop Barsamian was notified by SMU Vice President
Jim Caswell that the University’s Office of the Chaplain had withdrawn its
support for the event and had requested that the SMU Turkish Student’s Group
and other Turkish interest groups and foundations sponsoring the event to
remove SMU’s name and logo from their promotional materials and web sites.
Speedily organized for Saturday, April 14, 2007 without much notice to the
wider academic and greater Armenian communities, the "International
Conference on Turkish-Armenian Dialogue" included a panel of twelve (12)
academics and religious leaders, including Turkish scholars widely known as
Genocide deniers, despite world-wide acceptance that Ottoman Turkey
slaughtered some 1.5 million Armenian Christians between 1915-1918, a period
President Ronald Reagan, other world leaders and governments refer to as the
Armenian Genocide.
The only Armenian invited to participate in the conference panel was His
Beatitude Mesrob II Mutafyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul. The
Patriarch, who resides in the capital of Turkey, has a very limited ability
to freely to express his true thoughts and concerns because of oppressive
Turkish free-speech laws.
Throughout Thursday, the Primate was in communication with leaders of SMU
and academics from other schools scheduled to speak at the conference.
Additionally, ecumenical partners and their leaders, such as Dr. Bob Edgar
of the National Council of Churches, added their voices, calling for SMU to
withdraw their sponsorship of the conference that promised to be a
monologue, effectively excluding Armenians from the supposed dialogue.
On Friday, Archbishop Barsamian received additional notice that American
academics who had learned of how one-sided the panel was, withdrew their
names as participants.
Sadly, the SMU Turkish Student’s Group, a pro-Turkish foundation and a
Turkish run "interfaith" group still plan to go forward, despite the
universal academic condemnation of the event’s scope and organization.
Responding to the notice of SMU’s withdrawal, Archbishop Barsamian said, "We
thank the leadership of Southern Methodist University and applaud their
understanding of the importance of true dialogue, of helpful discussion, and
hopeful relations between the Armenian and Turkish people."
"There are countless Turks who are beginning to uncover the truth of the
Armenian genocide. Those Turks are beginning to understand the importance
of a true discussion on the issues surrounding the Genocide, and we welcome
such open, honest, and heart-felt talks," the Primate added. "However, this
conference is not such a dialogue, and, indeed, is no true dialogue at all.
It is, rather, an attempt to use the title ‘dialogue’ to persuade America’s
political class that the Armenian Genocide is not worth remembering or
recognizing."
Archbishop Barsamian has made clear to SMU, to other Turkish groups and to
Turkish academics and intellectuals that he remains ready to engage in
authentic dialogue. "I look forward to working with SMU, its student groups
and others of good will to organize a truly balanced panel capable of
discussing the Armenian Genocide and the future of the Armenian-Turkish
relations," added Archbishop Barsamian.
"I trust that saner voices will take up my invitation to engage in real
dialogue and this sad affair may come to some good after all," Archbishop
Barsamian added.
Attached is a PDF of Archbishop Barsamian’s letter to SMU President Dr. R.
Gerald Taylor.
— 4/13/07
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